Morning Routine
by That Dastard Cerberus
Summary: Hajime and Sen have a morning routine that manages to keep their work lives, their family lives, and their needs met. Never once did Hajime think this arrangement would bite him in the ass. Never did it cross his mind that his young six year old son would embarrass him in such an innocent way.


**One-shot Number:**#3**  
>Title<strong>: Morning routine  
><strong>Author<strong>: That Dastard Cerberus  
><strong>Characters<strong>: Saito Hajime, Senhime  
><strong>Rating<strong>: T (for implications)  
><strong>Setting<strong>: canonverse, after the game/anime ends (not Heisuke/Hijikata/Saito route)  
><strong>PromptWish**: Imagine your OTP as parents of a small child. However, throughout their marriage, they've still managed to keep their sex life active (as long as their kid is either asleep already or they have some time to themselves). One morning after a passionate round of sex, their child comes up to them in the kitchen and asks person B, "Did you have a nightmare last night?" Person B replies no but asks their child why they would think that. The child responds, "Well, whenever I have a nightmare, I call out for daddy/mommy, too." Person B is speechless and person A's reaction is up to you.  
><strong>Summary<strong>: Hajime and Sen have a morning routine that manages to keep their work lives, their family lives, and their needs met. Never once did Hajime think this arrangement would bite him in the ass. Never did it cross his mind that his young six year old son would embarrass him in such an innocent way.  
><strong>Word Count<strong>: 1,080  
><strong>Genre<strong>: romance, family  
><strong>Special Mention:<strong> Mocha11, for shipping these two with me! Also, much thanks to tumblr blog otpprompts for the great prompts.

* * *

><p>When the war ended, Japan was left in a complete mess. The scars of cannon fire still marred the landscape, and empty seats at the dinner table were still fresh on everyone's minds. Indeed, for those focusing on filling the void and repairing the damage, it was no simple task, requiring years to pick up the pieces.<p>

Hajime supposed he was lucky in this regard. After nearly passing out from the loss of blood, he found himself rescued by none other than the young woman he aided years ago. The same woman who had revealed Chizuru's true nature, the mysterious princess that remained an anomaly in his life. Just as he had come to her aid, she had taken him in, caring for him as his wounds. She had even prevented him from taking the ochimizu, slapping it out of his hand right before he could take it, telling him he had to live for his comrades, if nothing else.

Perhaps that's when Hajime began to feel something towards the princess of oni. It began with gratitude, as every morning she would come into the room he was placed in, cleaning his wounds, changing bandages, and feeding him when he couldn't move. It became a routine for them, with both of them rising early, talking about what they had planned out for the day. This often led them into little banters, as Hajime continuously insisted on attempting to begin moving around, and Senhime insisted he stay in bed until he can take a step without wincing.

Eventually, once he could move again, their routine changed. Senhime helped him move around the large mansion that was her home every morning, allowing him to regain strength in his limbs again. He received odd looks from the occasional passerby, yet Senhime never stopped behaving normally around him, treating him like she had the first day they met. But soon, his body healing up, Hajime felt something… different.

It was always strange to change their routine, but at first Hajime had welcomed the change. He wanted to get better, to be able to do things on his own, to be able to talk and make his own food and clean his clothes. Yet while he was glad to be completely recovered, he couldn't shake the feeling of disappointment. Soon, they would part ways, and their morning routine would be no more.

Not only that, but Hajime noticed there were… things going on below the belt that he had no control over. He often had to take care of it by himself, fearful of what Sen would think if she noticed anything. Perhaps he underestimated the power of oni, because before he knew what was going on, Sen had cornered him and confronted him.

Call it irony that Sen had discovered Hajime right before he was about to take care of business as usual, so when she pressed herself against him, she knew instantly what was going on. And then proceeded to torture him in the worst way imaginable.

Their morning routine changed drastically that day. He only experienced the most wonderful thing lovers could experience together, and he vowed to keep that thing going on as much as he could. When they were sure no one watching them, which happened to be the wee hours in the morning, they would escape together, alone, locked in a lover's embrace until the first sounds of activity in the village.

Even after taking Sen's hand in marriage, even after joining the police force in Tokyo, even after having their first child together, the two managed to keep their routine going.

* * *

><p>Hajime was a hardworking individual. Often times when he comes home after a long day, it doesn't take long before he passes out on the tatami mat he shared with his wife. Not that Sen minded, as she was often as tired as he was, quick to follow suit after putting Chihiro to bed.<p>

Of course, that didn't matter, as it worked fine with their morning routine. After separating their bodies, they would bathe, cook breakfast, discuss their activities for the day, and enjoy each other's company while playing a game with Chihiro until his tutor came to pick him up.

One such morning, after a rather passionate exchange, Hajime was going over some papers while Sen prepared breakfast. The two were carrying a conversation over a recent arrest Hajime had made when Chihiro scampered into the living room, his bare feet slapping loudly against the wooden floor. He stopped in behind his father, standing absolutely still. Hajime turned, seeing those bright, inquisitive violet eyes.

"What is it, Chihiro?" he asked, turning his body to face the boy properly.

"Do grownups have nightmares?"

Hajime blinked in surprise. "Yes, we can."

"Then you can have 'em, too?"

"Yes." Glancing back at Sen, who looked as equally confused as he was. "Both your mother and I can have nightmares."

Chihiro tilted his head, his dark eyebrows furrowed. "Did you have a nightmare last night?"

Hajime perked an eyebrow up. "No, I didn't. Why would you think that?"

Sen came up to Chihiro, squatting in front of the boy and placed her hand on his little shoulder. "Can you explain why you thought Daddy was having a bad dream?"

Chihiro looked between his parents, his facial expression thoughtful. After a pause, he grasped his small chin with his index finger and thumb, looking up. Ironically, he was mimicking one of Souji's expressions. "Well, when I get a nightmare, I call for Mommy, too."

It was silent. Both parents looked at each other, surprised. They blinked in sync. They looked back at Chihiro, who still looked completely serious and satisfied with his response.

Then Sen began to crack a smile.

It was tiny at first, trembling a bit, before it began to grow wider and wider until it spread across her face. Her shoulders shook a bit, then a giggle escaped her lips, and then, as if the dam broke, she burst out into laughter. She then attempted to stop but couldn't, doubling over laughing, with clutching her stomach.

Hajime was silent the entire time, just staring at Chihiro in shock, his mind reeling. Then his face heated up, turning bright red. _He calls for Mommy when he has nightmares, he calls for Mommy, he screams the word Mommy, it's dark, everyone's supposed to be asleep—_

After that day, Hajime never, ever screamed again during his and Sen's morning ritual.


End file.
